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AI capabilities are advancing quickly.
Systems are becoming more capable across reasoning, science, coding, persuasion, and autonomous action. Safety and governance may not be keeping pace.
University of Pennsylvania
Advanced AI could transform the world. If we get it wrong, the consequences could be catastrophic.
As AI systems become more capable, the gap between what they can do and our ability to reliably understand, constrain, and govern them may become one of the most important problems we face. SafeAI@Penn is a student community working to understand those risks and help reduce them.
Our mission
Build a Penn community capable of thinking seriously about advanced AI risk — and doing something useful about it.
We help students develop the conceptual, technical, and policy background to engage with AI safety, find collaborators, and take their next step into research, governance, or other high-impact work.
Why AI safety?
Three ideas that motivate our work.
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Failure could be hard to reverse.
Highly capable systems could amplify biological, cyber, political, and other risks. If we eventually build systems that are more strategically capable than their operators, reliable control may become a central technical problem.
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Students can help shape what comes next.
The field needs people from engineering, policy, biology, philosophy, economics, and more. We help Penn students find tractable problems, build skills, and connect with people working on them.
Programs
Learn, discuss, and build.
01Flagship
AI Safety Fundamentals
A guided introduction to the major ideas in AI safety, from alignment and evaluations to governance, biosecurity, and long-term risk.
Apply now02
Talks & workshops
Accessible sessions with researchers, practitioners, and students exploring important questions in AI safety.
Learn more03
Projects & community
Meet collaborators, find mentorship, explore projects, and discover research, internship, and career opportunities.
Join usGet involved
Start with AI Safety Fundamentals.
No prior AI safety experience is required. Students from every major are encouraged to apply.
Apply now